Thread bobbin tube aligner



June 30, 1.970 Y G, DALE-FFE `ET AL 3,517,797

THREAD'BOBBIN TUBE ALIGNER Filed sept. e, 1968 IfNTORS //za 'PA/'Pm BY Semmesandsemmes y ATTORNEYS so Inf. cl. ssg 47/24; msg 7/17 U.S. Cl. 198-33 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for automatically aligning thread bobbin tubes which are wider at one end than the other and inserting the bobbin tubes in transport cases comprises a receiver for the tubesto be aligned, the receiver having an inclined bottom, at least one correspondingly inclined elevator having drivers following one another in the longitudinal direction, the drivers spaced apart and running in a channel formed in the receiver bottom, each driver being intended for one tube, and following the top end of said elevator there is disposed a substantially horizontal double track conveyor comprising two conveyor tracks which are parallel to one another and are rotationally driven synchronously and the distance between which is shorter than the diameter of the wider tube end, so that the tubes driven by the elevator and fed centrally to the double track conveyor are supported on the conveyor tracks of the double track conveyor only by their wider ends, hanging between said conveyor tracks, there being disposed at the delivery end of the double track conveyor a device for swinging up the tube end in the opposite direction to the direction of transport and, following the said device, there being provided guide means for introducing the falling tubes, which are directed in the same direction with their wider ends forwards, into a transport case.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to a machine for automatically aligning thread bobbin tubes which are wider at one end than the other, and inserting the bobbin tubes in transport cases.

The empty bobbin tubes have a widened base end and in particular a conical shape or conical extension and tend to accumulate in large quantities and in disordered heaps in spinning or Winding mills.

It is a main object of the present invention to align the empty tubes in `one direction and to insert them, thus aligned, into transport cases for re-use in spinning or winding machines by means of an automatically acting, high capacity operationally reliable machine of simple construction.

SUMMARY According to the invention a machine of the kind set forth in paragraph 1 above comprises a receiver for the tubes to be aligned, the receiver having an inclined bottom, at least one correspondingly inclined elevator having drivers following one another in the longitudinal direction, the drivers spaced apart and runnnig in a channel formed in the receiver bottom, each driver being intended for one tube, and following the top end of said elevator there is disposed a substantially horizontal double track conveyor comprising two conveyor tracks which are parallel to one another and are rotationally driven synchronously and the distance between which is shorter than the diameter of the wider tube end, so that the Patent O" 3,517,797 Patented June 30,. 1970 ICE tubes driven by the elevator and fed centrally to the double track co-nveyor are supported on the conveyor tracks of the double track conveyor only b-y their wider ends, hanging between said conveyor tracks, there being disposed at the delivery end of the double track conveyor a device for swinging up the tube end in the opposite direction to the direction of transport and, following the said device, there being provided guide means for introducing the falling tubes, which are directed in the same direction with their wider ends forwards, into a transport case.

-In one embodiment of the invention the width of the channel formed in the bottom of the receiver is slightly greater than the outside diameter of the Wider tube ends and the distance between the drivers on the elevator is slightly greater than the overall length of a tube.

In another embodiment of the invention, the elevator is constructed as an endless rotating V-belt, the upper side of which runs in the matchingly proled bottom portion of the channel in the bottom of the receiver.

In another embodiment of the invention the upper region of the elevator following the channel in the receiver bottom is guided through a passage which has a width slightly greater than the diameter of the wider tube end and is bounded by relatively ta'll vertical walls the end face of which, directed towards the receiver, is bevelled upwardly in the direction of movement of the elevator.

In another embodiment of the invention, the top guide pulley of the elevator and the rear guide pulleys disposed on both sides of said pulley and provided for the two conveyor tracks of the adjoining double track conveyor are fastened on a common driven shaft.

In another embodiment of the invention the conveyor tracks of the double track conveyor are in the form of V-belts, the upper sides of which run in matchingly proled, preferably adjustable supporting rails.

In another embodiment of the invention, at the delivery end of the double track conveyor there is disposed between the respective guide pulleys of the conveyor tracks a stationary run-up and guide rail which extends rearwards in a downwardly inclined direction towards the receiver into the path of the tubes hanging from the double track conveyor for the purpose of swinging up the bottom ends of said tubes.

In another embodiment of the invention, following the delivery end of the double-track conveyor there is disposed a downwardly inclined slide channel for introducing the falling tubes into a transport container disposed therebeneath.

In another embodiment of the invention, on the head side of the receiver, corresponding to the bottom end of the elevator, there is disposed a tipping box for pouring into the receiver the tubes to be aligned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the machine shown in FIG. l

1 along the sectional lines V-.-V in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED- EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a machine for the automatic aligning and inserting into transport cases of thread bobbin tubes 1, which are wider at one end and in particular are conical and/ or provided with a conical base extension 101, in spinning, twisting, or winding mills or the like, consists Of a receiver 2 into which the tubes 1 to be aligned are poured. The tubes 1 are poured into the receiver with the aid of a tipping box 3, which is mounted at the rear end of the receiver 2 to swivel about a top axis of rotation 4. The tubes 1 may be inserted directly into the tipping box 3 and then poured into the receiver 2 by swinging said box up. It is however also possible to insert into the tipping box 3 a case 5 filled with tubes 1 and to fasten said case on the box 3 with the aid of retaining means (not illustrated). Said case 5 together with the tipping box 3 is then swung up and the tubes 1 contained in it are poured out into the receiver 2, as illustrated in particular in FIG. 1.

The receiver 2 has an inclined bottom 102 which rises in the forward direction and is provided with a plurality of longitudinally directed channels 6, which are illustrated particularly in FIG. 2. The dividing webs 7 between the bottom channels 6 have an upwardly pointed crosssection. The width of each bottom channel 6 is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the wider tube end 101, which is indicated in solid lines in FIG. 2 and in dotand-dash lines in FIG. 3.

In each bottom channel 6 in the receiver 2 there runs the top side of an elevator 8, which is inclined similarly to the receiver bottom 102, that is to say rises in the forward direction, and which is in the form of an endless V-belt and equipped with driver 9. The V-belt of each elevator 8 is guided around a bottom guide pulley 10 and a top guide pulley 11, and is driven rotationally in the direction of the arrow 12 (FIG. 1). The top guide pulleys 11 of all the elevators 8 are fastened on a common transversely directed shaft 13, which is driven by an electric motor i16 with the aid of a belt drive *14, 15.

The distance between the successive drivers 9 of each elevator 8 is slightly greater than the total length of a tube 1. The V-belts of the elevators 8 lie in the bottom, matchingly profiled portion of the corresponding channel 6 in the receiver bottom, while the drivers 9 project into the portion of the channel 6 which lies thereabove. On the rotation of the elevators 8, each driver 9 of the latter pulls a tube 1 out of the heap of tubes lying in the bottom region of the receiver 2 and delivers it upwards in the direction of movement 12 in the respective channel 6 in the receiver bottom. Through the arrangement of the V-belt of the elevator 8 in a corresponding longitudinal channel 6 in the receiver bottom 102 and through the above described construction of these channels 6 and of the separating webs 7, and in particular through the fact that the Width of the channels 6 is slightly greater than the diameter of the wider end 101 of the tube, in conjunction with the fact that the distance between the successive drivers 9 is made slightly greater than the overall length of a tube 1, it is ensured that each driver 9 of the elevators 8 pushes a single tube 1 forwards in the respective channel 6 in the receiver bottom, that is to say in the first place the tubes 1 are separated from one another and secondly they are aligned longitudinally. It is entirely unimportant whether the individual tubes 1 which are thus driven have their narrower end or their wider end directed forwards in the direction of movement 12.

Following each longitudinal channel 6 in the receiver bottom 102 there is provided in the upper region of the respective elevator 8 a passage 17 which is bounded at the sides by relatively tall vertical partitions 18 and which has a width slightly greater than the diameter of the wider tube end 101, as is illustrated particularly in FIG. 3. The end face 118 of the partitions 18 which is directed rearwards towards the receiver 2 for the tubes 1 is bevelled, that is to say inclined upwards in the direction of movement 12 of the elevators 8, as can be seen particularly in FIG. 1. With this arrangement the tubes 1 which in the receiver 2 lie transversely to the elevators 8 and are driven upwards in the direction of movement 12 of said elevators run on to the inclined end faces 118 of the partitions 18 between the passages 17 and are arrested by them or roll back into the receiver 27 generally changing their direction, that is to say they attempt to adjust themselves to the longitudinal direction of the channels 6 in the receiver bottom.

Following the top end of each elevator 8 there is disposed a substantially horizontal double belt conveyor 19, which consists of two endless, parallel V-belts 119 which are spaced apart in the transverse direction and are driven synchronously in the direction of delivery 20. The two V-belts 119 of each double belt conveyor 19 are guided at the rear, receiving end of said conveyor around a guide pulley 21 in each case and at the front, delivery end of said conveyor around a guide pulley Z2 in each case. The rear guide pulleys 21 of each double belt conveyor 19 are fastened on each side of the top guide pulley 11 of the appertaining elevator 8, on the same shaft 13, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 3. The double belt conveyors 19 are thus driven by the same motor 16 of the elevators 8 and in the same direction of movement as the latter. The front guide pulleys 22 of each double belt conveyor 19 on the other hand are mounted loose on corresponding coaxial shaft portions 23, as can be seen particularly in FIG. 5.

From FIG. 4 it can be seen that the upper sides of the V-belts 119 of each double belt conveyor 19 run in matchingly .profiled supporting rails 24. Between the individual parallel double belt conveyors 19 there are disposed separating webs 25, which also act as side guides for the V-belts 119. The supporting rails 24 and the separating webs 25 are mounted adjustably, with the interposition of interchangeable spacer bars 26, on a fixed carrier plate 27, which in the region lying between the two V-belts 119 of each double belt conveyor is provided with a continuous longitudinal slot 28.

The distance between the two V-belts 119 of each double belt conveyor 19 is rather smaller than the outside diameter of the wider tube end 101. The tubes 1 driven by each elevator 8 and deposited centrally between the two V-belts 119 of the adjoining double belt conveyor 19 consequently drop by their narrower ends between the V-belts 119 and through the respective longitudinal slot 28 in the carrier plate 27, but remain hanging by their wider ends 101 on the V-belts 119, as illustrated particularly in FIGS. 1 and 4. It is completely immaterial whether the wider end or the narrower end of the tube 1 is at the front when pushed on to the double belt conveyor 19. When the wider end 10'1 of the tube is directed forwards, the entire tube 1 is first pushed on to the double belt conveyor 19 until the narrower rear end of the tube slips off the top guide pulley 11 of the elevator 8 and then swings down between the two V-belts 119, as illustrated particularly in FIG. 1. If on the other hand the narrower end of the tube is directed forwards, this end will rst, that is to say immediately on transfer of the tube 1 from the elevator 8 to the double belt conveyor 19, pass between the V-belts 119 of said conveyor, and the tube will fall until the wider end 101, slipping off the top guide pulley 11 of the elevator y8, is caught and supported by the two V-belts 119 of the double belt conveyor 19.

The hanging tubes 1 transported by the double belt conveyor 19 are now all aligned in the same direction, that is to say with the wider end 410'1 at the top. At the delivery end of each double belt conveyor 19 there is disposed, between the respective guide pulleys 22 of the V-belts 119, a stationary guide rail 29 the cross-section of which is approximately channel-shaped and which extends in a downwardly inclined direction towards the rear, that is to say towards the receiver 2, into the path of the tubes 1 hanging from the respective double fbelt conveyor 19. The narrower tube ends, hanging downwards, run on to this guide rail 29, which rises obliquely in the direction of transport 20, and are thus swung up towards the rear, that is to say in the opposite direction to the direction of transport 20, in such a manner that the tubes 1 assume an approximately horizontal position and fall head over heels, that is to say with the wider tube end 101 forwards, off the delivery end of the double belt conveyor 19.

Following each double belt conveyor 19 there is disposed a downwardly inclined slide channel 30 with the aid of which the tubes 1 falling downwards and directed in the same direction with their wider ends forwards are introduced into a transport case 31 situated therebeneath.

The invention is naturally not restricted to the example of embodiment illustrated, but within the framework of the general principle of the invention various solutions, particularly solutions which are different from the point of View of construction, are possible. Thus for example the elevators 8 or the double track conveyors 19 may be in the form of chain and double chain conveyors respectively. The slide channel 30 at the delivery end of each double track conveyor may be replaced by any other guide end conveyor means, for example by a transverse conveyor for the tubes 1 aligned in the same direction. On the other hand, all features which can be seen from the drawing and description, including constructional details, may be essential to the invention in any combination.

We claim:

1. A machine for automatically aligning thread bobbin tubes which are wider at one end than the other and inserting the said tubes in transport cases, comprising a receiver for the tubes to be aligned, the receiver having an inclined bottom, at least one correspondingly inclined elevator having drivers following one another in the longitudinal direction, the drivers spaced apart and running in a channel formed in the receiver bottom, each driver being intended for one tube, and following the top end of said elevator there is disposed a substantially horizontal double track conveyor comprising two conveyor tracks which are parallel to one another and are rotationally driven synchronously and the distance 'between which is shorter than the diameter of the Wire tube end, so that the tubes driven by the elevator and fed centrally to the double track conveyors are supported on the conveyor tracks of the double track conveyor only by their wider ends, hanging between said conveyor tracks, there being disposed at the delivery end of the double track conveyor a device for swinging up the tube end in the opposite direction to the direction of transport and, following the said device, there being provided guide means for introducing the falling tubes, which are directed in the same direction with their wider ends forwards, into a transport case.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the Iwidth of the channel formed in the bottom of the receiver is slightly greater than the outside diameter of the wider tube ends and the distance between the drivers on the elevator is slightly greater than the overall length of a tube.

3. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the elevator is constructed as an endless rotating V-belt, the upper side of which runs in the matchingly profiled bottom portion of the channel in the bottom of the receiver.

4. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the upper region of the elevator following the channel in the receiver bottom is guided through a passage which has a width slightly greater than the diameter of the wider tube end and is bounded by relatively tall vertical walls the end face of which, directed towards the receiver, is Ibevelled upwardly in the direction of movement of the elevator.

5. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the `top guide pulley of the elevator and the rear guide pulleys disposed on both sides of said pulley and provided for the two conveyor tracks of the adjoining double track conveyor are fastened on a common driven shaft.

6. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor tracks of the double track conveyor are in the form of V-belts, the upper sides of which run in matchingly profiled, preferably adjustable supporting rails.

7. A machine according to claim 1, wherein at the delivery end of the double track conveyor there is disposed between the respective -guide pulleys of the conveyor tracks a stationary run-up and guide rail which extends rearwards in a downwardly inclined direction towards the receiver into the path of the tubes hanging from the double track conveyor for the purpose of swinging up the bottom ends of said tubes.

8. A machine according to claim 1, wherein following the delivery end of the dou-ble track conveyor there is disposed a downwardly inclined slide channel for introducing the falling tubes into a transport container disposed therebeneath.

9. A machine according to claim 1, wherein on the head side of the receiver, corresponding to the bottom end of the elevator, there is disposed a tipping box for pouring into the receiver the tubes to be aligned.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS TRYGVE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 221-156 

